Reminder from the FCC regarding the upcoming EAS National Test

As we are all preparing for next week’s nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alert System (WEA) on September 20th, just a reminder to broadcasters and cable providers not to air the audio attention signal for WEA or the EAS during any news coverage of the test. Any transmission, including broadcast, of the WEA or EAS attention signals or codes, or a simulation of them, under any circumstances other than a genuine alert, authorized test, or approved public service announcement violates the Commission’s rules and undermines the important public safety precautions that WEA and EAS provide. See 47 CFR §§ 10.520(d), 11.45. While the Commission encourages improving public awareness of WEA and the EAS, including the upcoming nationwide test, broadcasters and cable providers are reminded to exercise caution and avoid inadvertently broadcasting the WEA or EAS tones in a news story.

Thank you in advance for your participation in the upcoming nationwide test, and we look forward to continuing to work together to promote the effectiveness of emergency alerting. If you have any questions, please email us at alerting@fcc.gov.